Heroes: Supports
by Articfreezer
Summary: Fire Emblem Heroes is a mobile game that crossovers all the FE universes. Heroes from different worlds fight alongside each other in a short "pick-up" battle of Fire Emblem. Some characters seem like they compliment each other quite nicely despite being from different worlds. What type of supports would these Heroes have?
1. Sweet Siblings (Klein-Sanaki)

Klein's body was gone. But he knew it would come back.

He wasn't sure how he could tell, but Klein knew that his soul was in motion. Traveling through some type of ethereal plane, Klein's mind was being filled with knowledge. He wasn't quite sure how, but somehow Klein knew. He was traveling to a faraway land. To a kingdom called Askr. And though he wasn't quite sure why, he knew he had to protect it at any cost.

A loud sound reverberated in his head and he knew his moment had come. He opened his eyes, and sure enough his body was back, as if it had never left. A figure stood before him, an oddly shaped weapon pointed straight at him, but Klein knew, just as he had known everything else, who this figure was and that weapon meant no harm.

"I am Klein, son of Count Reglay of Etruria. I'll be happy to accompany you!"

The figure nodded in acknowledgment and Klein bowed his respects before leaving to take his place in the summoning area. He couldn't quite tell how he knew where that was, but once he stopped in a particular spot, he knew. That place just felt right.

Klein blinked. Now that he had time to think about the whole ordeal, he did find it a bit odd. Just where was he? Askr, but how? Come to think of it, he had never heard of the place right before he ended up here and yet somehow he knew exactly where it was.

Perplexed, he allowed his eyes to wander. The figure with the weapon hunched over as if looking at something in their palm, and Klein couldn't help but overhear the figure muttering something excitedly.

"Heh heh...plus attack, minus res...perfect! Heh heh…."

Klein furrowed in confusion, unsure of exactly what that meant. It was then he noticed that he was not alone in this area he knew was called the summoning circle. Other figures stood silently in their space as well, holding weapons that he recognized and looking as if they had just gone through the same process he had. Perhaps he could inquire some more information from them.

To his right, a man with a scar on his face stood idly. He did not look amiable in the slightest. Upon catching his eye, he scowled.

"What?" he spoke in a gruff voice.

"Uh, pardon me," Klein did his best to remember his training in etiquette, as he did not want to offend this man. "I was just wondering if you could tell me about the predicament we find ourselves in."

Klein felt pretty good about that, and he thought his father would be quite proud of how he had handled himself there, but the scarred man did not seem to agree.

"Sorry," He grunted. "Don't like to speak much."

And with that, the scarred man turned away, pointedly ignoring Klein and his inquiry. Klein scratched his head at the rude treatment, but decided not to push it. No reason to bother this man any further, it seemed.

Perhaps someone else then, he looked to his left, and sure enough another figure, this time in the form of a young girl with pointy ears and - BY GODS what was she wearing?

Or the more appropriate question in this case, what was she not wearing? Not much, by the looks of it!

Hastily, Klein tried to turn away, but the young girl noticed his movement too quickly and caught him before he could with a large smile on her face.

"Hi! Wanna play?"

Oh Gods, no. Klein struggled to unfreeze himself and cautiously faced the young girl. He didn't quite know what this young girl meant by play and he didn't quite like the glint in her eye, but he also didn't want to appear unseemly on a first impression, no matter who the party he was talking to was. Still..

"What would you mean by 'play'? " he chose his words carefully.

"Oh we could do some like hide-and-dragon seek, or tag, or - hmm what else is there? Ah!" the girl suddenly seemed to realize something. "I guess this isn't the time for that, is it? Sorry, I forgot. How about later then?"

Klein breathed a mental sigh of relief at her choice of games before answering.

"Sure. That's fine."

"Great! It's a promise! Er, sorry, what was your name?"

"I am Klein, of-"

"Okie-dokie, Klein! I'll see you later! Oh, and you can just call me big sis, since I'm about a thousand years older than you, alright? Just call out if you need me!"

"Okay, but - wait, what?" Klein wasn't quite sure he heard her correctly, but did this young girl just claim to be _thousands_ of years older than him? A certain face of a young girl with purple hair suddenly appeared in his mind, and somehow he wasn't too surprised.

The young girl contine to fix him with an innocent beaming smile, and Klein decided that for better or for worse, it wasn't quite worth pursuing this topic.

Next to the girl, however, was something well worth pursuing. Klein's eyes widened as he recognized a familiar face, off in the distance.

"Lord Roy? Is that you?"

At the mention of the name Roy, the person on the far end turned his attention to Klein, and slowly, Klein could tell that…that…

That wasn't quite Roy. He had similar features, but Klein could tell from the way that that man was looking at him that he didn't recognize him in the slightest.

"Excuse me? Did you just call me...Roy?"

"My apologies," Klein bowed his head in embarrassment. "You just looked like someone I knew."

"Ah, but wait," Klein looked up to see the man giving him a doubtful frown. "Roy is the name of my son."

Klein blinked not sure how to process this information.

"You mean...Roy is your boy?"

"Indeed. Roy's my boy."

"..."

"..."

"Wait!" Klein shouted in astonishment. "Does that mean that you're Lord Eli-"

"Ah, hold on one moment," the man cut him off. He pointed back over to the figure. "It's about to happen again."

"What do you mean by that?" Klein frowned in confusion.

"Just watch," the man kept his eyes on the figure. "It's mysterious. I've never seen anything quite like it."

With those words, Klein's curiosity was piqued. He shifted his attention back to the summoner.

The figure slowly raised his oddly shaped weapon. Klein could not tell what emotions were running through the summoner's mind, but oddly he could hear a few words.

"Please not another Draug, anything but that."

Klein frowned. He didn't quite knew what those words meant. But he wouldn't have time to find out.

BAM! The summoner in the middle shot his weapon. Klein's eyes widened at the sight before him. Multi-colored orbs shot out of the weapon, converging into a stone pedestal holding a red orb across from where Klein was standing.

Before his very eyes, he watched in astonishment as a cloud of dust appeared, sending a shiver down his spine and resulting in a twinkle of excitement in the figure's eye. And then the pedestal glowed as if by magic, a blue light burst out of it towards the sky, but before Klein could follow it with his vision, another flash of blinding white light made him shield his eyes and when it was gone-

"You stand in the presence of Sanaki, Empress of Begnion! I am the Apostle - the voice of the Goddess!"

Klein lowered his hand and peered at the figure across from him. She was a girl with purple hair and some sort of red hairband now stood in the place where the pedestal once was. She looked familiar.

It was only until the girl looked back at him when recognized her. He did know who she was. And from the looks of it, she had not forgotten him either.

In between them, the summoner with the weapon was hollering loudly with elation, joyously bouncing up and down.

"Woo-hoo! Two focus characters in one summon! How lucky am I? And she's plus speed minus resistance too! Ha-ha!"

Klein only caught half of that, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to understand it anyway. He was fixated on that girl across from him, and she had not left her own gaze onto him. What were the odds, Klein wondered, that they would meet again like this?

The circumstances were incredible, but perhaps it was fate. Maybe she knew more about this world they were in and could fill him in. It was worth looking into, anyway. Chancing a smile, Klein nervously greeted her with a small wave.

Her mouth opened and her hand moved to mimic the motion. Suddenly, however, she froze. In a very pointed manner, she turned her head away from him, a cross expression on her face. She left the room shortly after, in a very brisk manner.

Klein frowned. What was that all about? Deciding to confront her about it, he left in her pursuit.

The hooded summoner skipped jovially behind him.

She had not gone too far. In fact right outside of the entrance to the summoning room, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Sure enough, the small but fierce figure of the "empress of Begnion" met him, looking coldly into his eyes.

"Explain yourself," she demanded.

"...Huh?"

Klein blinked blankly as the empress continued boring a hole with her eyes into him, looking at him with a distrustful expression.

"Do not play dumb with me, mister. I am the Empress of Begnion and you have shown yourself in my presence twice in this odd world. Are you some sort of stalker or something?!"

"W-wait a minute," Klein took a step backwards, as rightfully so as Sanaki eyes began to flare. Her right hand grasped a book, no, a tome, very tightly and from what Klein remembered from their previous battle together, he did not want to make a wrong a move here. His skin burned just thinking about it.

"Hold on," he pleaded, holding his hands up. "I was going to ask you the same thing. W-well, not the stalker part, obviously, but I'm just in the dark about this as you."

Sanaki gave a small 'hmpth' as a reply, her composure not relenting one bit.

"And you expect me to believe that? I am the empress of Begnion! I am the apostle, the voice of the Goddess! And you- you are some strange unknown peasant. Give me one good reason I should believe anything that you-"

"W-wait a second. Peasant? I'm the son of Count Reglay of Eturia." Klein frowned. Okay, obviously, he didn't think he was anything too special. But peasant seemed to be going just a little too far. Besides- "And I have no idea what anything you said meant."

"E-tua?" Sanaki stumbled over her words, sounding uncharacteristically childish in her mispronunciation. She realized it too as she turned red almost immediately.

"D-d-do not try to make a fool out of me! I know that's not a real place!" The empress stammered. "Do you know who I am? I am the Empress of Beg-"

"Look," Klein interjected. "I apologize for interjecting, but you have already stated that far too many times for even a man with the shortest memory to forget. I understand that you are an empress of some sort, but it seems we come from different worlds. Believe me when I say that I don't have the slightest idea what that is."

Sanaki paused in the middle of saying something, her mouth agape and face slowly turning redder. She attempted to say something a couple of times before finally managing to get her words out.

"Y-you dare...interrupt the Empress of Begnion? Have you no manners? Most men would shiver in fear in my mere presence...you dare interrupt me?"

Klein paused to think for a moment. This interaction wasn't going anywhere. The girl in front of him was intent on acting like an empress. In that case, perhaps his best move to get through to her would be to play his part. And so Klein bowed.

"Once again, I apologize, my lady. But I cannot help but to wonder how men would shiver in the presence of such a cute little girl such as yourself."

"C-l-u-ittle…!" Sanaki appeared to be caught between saying the word cute and little. Her face turned even brighter and her face went through a whole range of emotions before settling in on anger.

"Y-you dare insult the Empress of Begnion with your...filthy mouth?! I-I should burn you where you stand for saying those...lies!"

Klein started in surprise. He had meant those words as a compliment. The way she reacted, though suggested that she may really be an empress. Did men really fear being in her presence? Surely, she must feel pretty lonely in that case. But he had no time to think of that now, as once again he hastily bowed low.

"I sincerely apologize if what I said insulted you, empress. But I did not mean any foul intentions with my tongue. It is a statement I would tell my sister and you look to be around her age so I just spoke without thought, my lady!"

"You...have a sister?" The sudden change in voice made Klein look up, and what he saw made his heart melt. The little girl had a very sad, forlorn expression on her face, and Klein could tell she was remembering some unpleasant memories. No little girl deserved to have such an expression.

What would he say to cheer his little sister up, had she looked like that?

Thinking quickly, Klein lowered his head again.

"Once more, I sincerely apologize for acting so crass. As an apology, I humbly ask that you allow me to take you out to the nearest candy shop for a treat."

Worked like a charm. Instantly, the head of the empress perked up.

"C-candy?! I mean...what kind of apology is that?! I am NOT a child and I do not care for such things! ...S-still, I will allow it. If you insist."

Klein smiled warmly. "Follow me."

Now, being new to the land and all, Klein didn't quite know where the nearest candy shop was. That being the case, he wandered blindly for a while before a helpful blonde girl offered some direction.

"Oh, a candy shop? Sure thing! The one over here is my favorite! I wish I could come along, but I have so many new friends to meet, so have fun!"

It had taken a while to get there, and the girl he had with him had become quite cranky in her impatience for a sweet snack. Though she didn't say it, Klein could tell by the way she kept fidgeting during the journey. Having finally arrived at their destination, however, Klein decided to make it up to her.

"Sorry it took so long, my lady. But as my apology being so untimely, feel free to help yourself to as much candy as you want."

The girl's eyes widened as she heard that, and she turned to look at him in surprise. She opened her mouth and stuttered, and she looked as if she were trying to say something proper, or something about how an empress such as herself didn't care for such gestures. But all she could manage to get out of her mouth was a tiny squeak.

"R-really?"

Klein bowed. "My treat."

"T-then…" Sanaki didn't waste much time as she looked up and down the vendor's options, her eyes filled with wonder and excitement. "I'll have…"

Klein wondered if he would regret his decision here. His wallet certainly did. But he bought the bundle of treats she wanted anyway, and as she scuffled off to sit on a nearby park bench, he sat down next to her, and one moment of seeing the girl bite into tarts with such a contented look on her face made it all worth it.

After a few dozen treats, it seemed she had her fill.

"Ah...that was excellent!"

Klein gave her a small smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, my lady."

Sanaki started, and turned toward him with a look of surprise on her face.

"You...you're still here?!"

Klein looked back at her bemusedly. She must have been enjoying the sweets so much that she got lost in her own world for a bit and didn't notice him follow her.

"Did you expect me take leave?"

"YES! I mean...of course I did...Avert your eyes! I am the..."

She stopped her proclamation and sighed, looking sad once more. Klein leaned toward her, worried.

"My lady?"

"No...it's all right. You've already seen that anyway," she muttered dejectedly.

"Aw, don't be like that. You are the empress of Bagletown right?"

"It's Begnion!" she flared up for a moment, but relaxed quickly. "...But, you don't give a fig for all that, do you?"

"Now, wait a second." Klein frowned, offended. "How can you say that? I have addressed you properly this whole time and even treated you to all those sweets, and you're saying I just did that for no reason?"

"Ha, that's exactly what I meant," Sanki lifted her head up. "I am the empress of Begnion. But here you are, treating me so casually. You stand in my presence with no fear, even though you have seen what I am capable of. Most men would beg me to allow them to approach. But not you. It's...well, it's something else.

Klein peered at her quizzically. "Were my actions that discomforting?"

"No, it's not that at all. It was...kind of nice for you to bring me out here for these snacks and all, but...you have to understand. I am not a commoner. Nor am I child. Though I appear like any other girl, I don't have the luxury of acting this juvenile."

"But didn't you enjoy those treats?"

"It's not a question of whether I enjoyed them or not. I am who I am. I am the apostle, the voice of the Goddess. I must act as such."

Klein drew a deep breath. He felt sorry for this girl. She was born with a title with a deep burden to bear and because of that she could not act the same as a girl around her age should. Because of this, she couldn't experience the small joys that childhood would bring.

"...Here take this." Klein reached into his pocket.

"...What is it?" Sanaki peered over at him. He held a small tart in his hand. "Another treat?! Where did you…?"

"I bought one for myself while I was getting all of yours. But I don't have much of a sweet tooth in the first place, so I think you would enjoy it more than me."

"But...didn't you listen to anything I said? I cannot afford to look like a child. I am an empress!"

"You don't have to be an empress all the time."

Sanaki's mouth dropped.

"...What?"

"Look, I respect you, my lady. You may not believe me, but Etruia is a real place and I am of noble birth. I've met many people in my life and I've come to learn many things. One such thing I have learned is those who talk the talk rarely walk the walk. Most of the time they flee. But you have done no such thing. You were born into a life where you became an empress at such a young age and despite that all, you still did everything in your power to grow into that role and fit what was expected of you. That's admirable. I can see now that you truly are the empress of Begnion, the apostle.

But, you don't have to be that all the time. Every once in awhile, you can be yourself if only for a short while. If only long enough to indulge yourself slightly while no one's around. If only long enough to enjoy one small piece of candy. I'm sure no one would think any less of you for that."

Klein finished with a gentle smile, and once again held his hand out to her, offering his treat once again.

The empress in front of him hesitated. Finally, she slowly reached out. A small red tint appeared on her cheek as she took his peace offering, though this time it wasn't because of anger.

"Tell no one of this," she huffed as she popped the snack into her mouth.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"And don't forget," she gave him a glare, though the candy sweetened her eyes just a bit. "I am the empress of Begnion."

Klein gave one last deep bow.

"Of course not, my lady."

* * *

Weeks passed and Klein had settled in as a member of the Order of Heroes. On occasion he would still run into Sanaki and though she still was keen on reminding him and everybody else exactly who she was, he felt that her tone with a bit amicable that it had been when they first met.

Every once in while, he would bring her out to that candy store and allow her to enjoy some more of her favorite tarts, though as the castle grew more and more populated their trips became less frequent.

Today, however, the coast was going to be clear. Klein smiled as he laid back, outside in the green grass on a gorgeous sunrise, watching the day pass idly by waiting for the time he arranged to meet up with the girl at their usual spot.

"Biiiiig brooother!"

A voice snapped him out of his daydream, and a familiar one at that. His eyes popped open and a blonde sister focused into his view.

"Clarine!"

"Big brother! I found you!"

Without warning of any sort, Clarine launched herself at him, the majority of her force landing on his stomach knocking the wind out of him with a solid 'oomph!'

"Hey, hey, big brother!" Clarine pushed herself off him but just barely, so their eyes met inches away from each other. Her voice stayed cheerful but there was a bit of spice added on. "One of the members of the Order of Heroes told me you had been hanging out with another little girl, and you were going to buy her sweets!"

Suddenly, her eyes darkened and her voice dropped dangerously low.

"You...weren't thinking of... _replacing_ me, were you?"

Klein, the wind still knocked out of him gasping for air, could do nothing but shake his head slowly in dread.

"Good...I'm glad we got that sorted out. Now...where is this sweet shop that you are going to take your dear little sister to?"

"Hey, hey, mister!" Another voice entered the fray. And Klein's eyes widened in terror as he recognized this one to. And it was not a welcome one at all in this situation.

Nowi the manakete hopped on over to the pair giddily, horribly misinterpreting the situation.

"Hey, you're the man that promised to play with me that one time, right? Great timing! I was just looking for something to do. And is that girl coming along? Perfect! The more the merrier!"

Clarine took one swift glance at Nowi and her outfit before whirling her attention straight back to her brother, her eyes as sharp as a razor.

"Is this your new younger sister?!"

"Huh? No, no it's not like that all!" Nowi quickly replied and Klein breathed a sigh of relief. Too soon. "See, we agreed that I'm his _older_ sister, and mister said he sure loves his older sisters! Now, what game were you two playing?" Nowi looked at the position the two siblings were in. "Oh, I think I've played that one before!"

Klein gulped as his sister looked down at him, her face turning darker and darker by the second. He was not going to enjoy the next words coming out his sister's mouth very much.

"You are so dead."

He was so dead.

 **Note: I have not played either game where these two appear so all I got going for me is off Heroes. Because of that, I apologize if I made anything appear too out of character.**


	2. Phobia (Lon'qu-Florina)

"Tch, more of them…

Lon'qu gritted his teeth as he saw his greatest threats, hoards of them, walking in his direction.

Slyly, he slunk into the shadows and held his breath as they walked passed. In his hiding spot, he dared not move an inch for fear that they might spot him. And who knows what they would do to him if they did.

He was careful not to move until he could no longer hear the faintest trace of their footsteps. And only then did he risk a glance from out the corner of which he hid behind. They were gone. Good.

Women. He couldn't stand to be near them. There was nothing in particular that he had against them. In fact, during the heat of the battle, he could often forget about his gynophobia. But anytime he was near them in a normal situation such as this, he was forcibly reminded of a certain someone. Someone that he…

Lon'qu gritted his teeth and shook his head. Just like that he was thinking about things he didn't need to be. It was all because of those women that just past him. Blast.

He emerged into the clear, a little-light headed. Muttering small curses to himself, he set off.

What had he been doing again? Those creatures had interrupted his train of thought. His stomach reminded him with a rumble.

Ah, right, it was around the time for lunch. Suddenly, he looked up. Crap, what time was it?

Without another thought, Lon'qu rushed to the Dining Hall in the Castle for the Order of Heroes. Once, he reached his destination, however, he paused. Instead of going inside, he pressed his ear against the door.

His heart dropped. Sure enough, he could hear many voices within it's confines. Feminine voices. Perhaps if it had just been one, he could brave his fear of women for a split moment, but with this many voices…

Lon'qu backed away slowly. Perhaps he wasn't that hungry after all. Sure, he had skipped breakfast as well, but he hadn't been spotted yet, and if he left now, no one would know…

"Oh, hey."

"Ack!"

Lon'qu whirled around in terror. A woman stood in front of him, a very mundane expression on her face. She had snuck up on him!

The girl in the heavy armor suit blinked and pointed at the door.

"Are you going in?"

Lon'qu shook his head rapidly, his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head.

"Oh. Well, in that case, could you move? Going around in all this armor really works up an appetite. A girl's gotta eat, you know? ...Hey, are you alright?"

By this time Lon'qu had begun shaking. He managed to pull himself together for a quick reply.

"I'm fine!"

It came out a bit more curt than he intended to, but he couldn't really be blamed for that.

"Oh, alright then. Well, then….could you move?"

"R-right!"

And in the blink of an eye Lon'qu disappeared. Literally. The girl who was standing in front of him blinked and he was gone. She tilted her head in confusion, and wondered for a instant what that ordeal was about. But quite frankly, it didn't quite matter at the moment. There was food that needed to be in her stomach.

Lon'qu ran for as long as he could, but he ran out of energy a lot quicker than he normally did. Still, he had to get some distance between him and that girl. At last, he came to a stop at the castle's courtyard. Panting heavily, he looked around. No one else was here. Good. Lon'qu dragged himself over to a single large tree in the middle of the field and slumped against it to collect himself.

Lightheaded, he didn't quite know how long he lay against the tree. All he knew was that it had just felt like he had rested his head against the tree, when suddenly-

"Hey! Lon'qu!"

He perked up as he heard his name. That voice...he recognized it.

When he had first arrived in this new world, a blonde girl who actually resided in this world had approached him. She had asked if she could be his friend. However...she was a women.

She was quite the pushy type, and although Lon'qu had made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with her sort, she had constantly pestered him to try and get him to accept her. It wasn't happening. He had made it a point to avoid her if he could, but she had not gotten the hint, and still seeked him out from time to time.

"Hey, Lon'qu! Are you around here? Someone told me you were being all weird again! Come out and talk to me!"

Crap, her voice was getting closer. And he really wasn't in the mood to deal with her this time. Lon'qu looked around for a place to hide. The courtyard was vast, but lacking in substance, and no matter which direction who looked, no place looked quite safe enough to hide him.

Sighing, Lon'qu gave up. He really didn't have the energy to scramble around and try to hide anyway. Maybe if he played it right, that women would let him off easy this time...oh, who was he kidding, she would never do that.

Resigned to his fate, he leaned his head back against the tree trunk, a feeling of depression wallowing in his stomach. Perhaps he would camouflage into the tree. Tuning out the annoying women's voice, he basked in the shade. The weather was nice today, and the clouds looked so soft. Out of the corner of his eye, a low branch caught his attention, partially hidden from his view. It was a peculiar shape, but seemed sturdy to hold onto…

"Aha! Found...you?"

Sharena jumped inside the courtyard, ready to capture her target, except...he wasn't there.

She frowned. She was sure that this was the place Lon'qu ran out to, but the courtyard was an empty field with no Lon'qus in sight.

For good measure, she called out his name again, though she knew he wouldn't respond. She searched around the shrubbery and the great tree in the middle, but to no avail. He really wasn't here.

She bit her tongue in frustration. He got the better of her this time, but when she saw him next, he better be ready for the conversation of his life!

From his perch, Lon'qu held his breath as he watched the blonde girl walk away. He held still for a few moments afterwards, just to make she wasn't coming back. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. It seems he had managed to avoid her sight.

Well, now that it was over, it was time to get down. Lon'qu looked down and did a double-take.

In his haste to get away, he had climbed quite high up this tree. The leaves around him prevented him from determining exactly where on the tree he was, but he presumed he was somewhere near the top of this thing. Damn, it was going to be more effort than he would have liked to get down. Well, he better get started.

Lon'qu turned around to search for his first step, and as he did so, his eyes met with another. Wide, green, and looking right at him.

In the darkness of the trees, Lon'qu couldn't quite make it out first. Squinting, however, he saw a small figure a mere few branches away from him. The first thing he could tell was the bright light of the figure's long purplish pinkish hair. After a closer look he could make out a light white and blue skirt. And the figure under it was shaking.

For a solid second, Lon'qu stared dumbfounded, not really comprehending the situation in front of him. And then it dawned on him. Unfortunately, that was also the moment the figure in front of him let out a small squeak.

Next thing he knew, Lon'qu had found a quicker way down the tree. However, it was going to be a lot more painful when he got there.

* * *

"Ack!"

Lon'qu sat up. He had a terribly frightening dream. The familiar face of that girl had appeared once again. And once again, it was filled with regret, sorrow, hurt, and betrayal. He had failed to save her again, and could do nothing but fall, fall helplessly away as her face got more and more distant, until-

Lon'qu blinked. Where exactly was he? The giant tree next to him reminded him. Ah, right, the courtyard.

Oh, he realized. Slowly, he took a look around. Sure enough, a short distance away, a figure stood watching him timidy.

A women.

The girl jumped as she realized he saw her, and made a movement as she wanted to run away. She held her ground, however, though taking deep and shaky breaths to do so.

"Uh, um..hi!"

Her tone was shrill, and she looked absolutely petrified.

"U-uh. G-glad to see you're awake! S-sorry!"

She bowed her head, and from this angle, Lon'qu could tell she was clearly shaking. She had just apologized to him, right? But, why?

"...For what?"

He tensed up and watched her cautiously. What situation had he found himself in?

"W-what?" the girl turned to look at him with eyes wide as saucers. "I mean, I'm s-...sorry!"

"No, I mean...why?"

"Ah…" the girl took a step backwards and she quickly averted her eyes. "I...I...uh…"

The girl shifted uncomfortably, as she kept stuttering incomprehensibly and taking steps backwards. Lon'qu found her behavior to be quite odd. Though, somehow, it felt familiar.

"I made you fall from the tree!" she finally managed to say. "S-sorry!" she quickly apologized again.

Lon'qu tilted his head to the side. Ah, he did remember falling. He had thought the sensation was from the dream, but-

He looked up the tree. He remembered now. So that squeak he heard was from this girl, huh?

He shook his head in disgust. Of course his phobia would have him do something like that.

"It's not your fault," he muttered. "I'm just not really good with women…"

"O-oh. Sorry."

"What? I just said it wasn't your fault. You don't have to apologize."

"Right. Sorry."

"No, you don't have to say sorry…"

"Oh, right. Sorry.."

"..."

"..."

This wasn't going anywhere. Lon'qu sighed in exasperation. It was probably better to put this ordeal behind him, he thought, as he tried to get up to leave.

"Don't move!"

Lon'qu jumped as he heard the girl shriek at him, or he would have, but a searing pain across his back prevented him from doing such a task. So instead, he crumpled back to the ground in agony.

"S-sorry! But you landed hard on your back, and I-I treated it! But it's not done yet! So, please, don't...ah…"

The girl had rushed forward in the heat of the moment and as Lon'qu looked up, he could see her green eyes more clearly than ever. He caught his breath, as he recognized how close a women was to her, but before anything could happen-

Those green eyes widened in response, and the girl hastily backed away.

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to-" she stumbled over herself before continuing. "I-I mean, if it's alright, just lie there for a little bit, alright?"

Lon'qu nodded as he grimaced while the pain slowly subsided. As bad it was, he was somewhat grateful the pain was there. He was forced to put his attention on it rather than the situation or more specifically, the women in front of him.

He took a moment to peer up at the tree. If he remembered, he had been quite high. From where he was, he was lucky that the mild pain was all the inconvenience he felt after that fall. It could have easily been a broken back, if not worse.

In fact, no, luck was not the way to describe it. Had he fallen alone, his injury would have surely have been and felt much worse. But because of the treatment…

He sighed, resigned. He was a proud man of Regna Ferox. He knew what had to be done.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Eh?"

"For treating my back," he indicated to the women. It took all of his courage to do so.

"A-ah, it was n-no problem at all...I-I mean..." the girl glanced at him for a second, before quickly darting her eyes away once again. "A-anyway, since it's my fault...I figured it's the least I could do. if there's anything else you need...just l-let me know, okay?"

"it's not your fault. I've said this already," Lon'qu gritted his teeth as he mustered up his courage. "In any case, as thanks for treating me, I should be the one asking you if you need anything. Name it and I will see to it. I would like to settle this debt quickly."

"E-eh?! No, there's no need to...I mean...it's not a debt. I-I don't think you can move right now anyway...and" her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I-I didn't mean...sorry!"

Lon'qu sighed as he was pelted with yet another needless apology. Nonetheless, It appeared he was stuck for a little bit. Though he wasn't going to complain, he did find the thought unpleasant. Especially with such a remorseful pair of eyes looking at him.

Seriously, did she not get it wasn't her fault? It was starting to get on his nerves. He was the one who was at fault here, for his own problems. She had treated him and he needed to repay her back for that. Lon'qu decided he'd probably be better off letting it go for now. Perhaps once she had calmed down, she would understand.

"So, you're a cleric?" He asked.

"Me? Well, no. I just picked up some healing here and there. Never know when it'll come in useful."

"Like now."

"Y-yeah."

Lon'qu had attempted to respond in a joking manner, but it fell flat. She must have still felt guilty about it. The fact that she refused to meet his eyes all but confirmed it.

Of course, his joking tone may not have exactly helped his case there. Not wanting another plethora of sorrys thrown his way, he tried to change the subject.

"So, if you're not a cleric, then…"

"Oh. Oh! I...I'm a pegasus rider…."

That was more like it. Her face brightened tremendously, but only for a second before looking back at him, as if she was unsure if she was allowed to be in such a mood. Lon'qu almost smirked. How ridiculous. But he held it in. Casually, he decided to keep with the topic.

"A pegasus rider, huh? How's that like?"

"Uh, well, it's...uh, it's like riding a flying horse…"

Well, duh. That was literally the description. Lon'qu decided to try a different direction.

"So what's your pegasus like?"

"Oh, Huey!"

And for the first time since he had met her, Lon'qu saw her smile. It was small, but genuinely happy. Lon'qu didn't know why, but he felt a sense of achievement when he saw it. Something inside of him triggered, and somehow, this situation seemed familiar. He wondered what it was.

"...the sweetest, cutest, most gorgeous pegasus around! Huey's the best! ...Ah."

Suddenly she stopped gushing over her pegasus as she turned her attention back to him. Lon'qu frowned, confused. For a second, her smile remained in his thoughts, and he had to wonder why. But he didn't dwell on it because, more pressingly, she had gone from being that joyous to looking like she was about to apologize again.

"Sorry. I shouldn't gone off like that."

He could tell she was about to say. Or something like that, anyway. Not wanting to hear it though, he cut her off before she had the chance.

"So what were you doing in that tree anyway?" He blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

"O-oh. Well, that..um."

Crap, it had the opposite effect. Her eyes started watering and she looked as if she was about to cry. How had he managed to screw this up? Maybe if he went back to the pegasus…

"It was because of you."

Her answer caught him off guard.

"Huh...?"

"Uh, it's not like it was your fault or anything!" she quickly blurted out, waving her hands in front of her face. Still, he was curious.

"What do you mean?"

"W-well," she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I was in here alone, having my lunch when suddenly you burst in here and...and well…" she looked up at the tree.

"Oh," she had been up there longer than him? Lon'qu marveled over the fact. "But, why?"

"Well, you see," the girl peeped at him before quickly looking away. "I...I sort of have a fear...of...men."

Lon'qu mouth dropped open. That...wasn't what he was expecting at all. So, she was just like him then. Except…

With shock, Lon'qu recalled who he was talking with. A woman. He was talking to a woman. He was supposed to have problems with women!

He didn't know how or when it happened, but somehow, he had forgotten the fact. For those moments, he was able to have a steady conversation with a woman, and he had been fine with it!

But, now...the instant he realized it, a familiar feeling of dread started to overtake him. He shut his eyes. No. Not again! That face...her face was appearing again! How many times did he have to endure this torture? The feeling slowly crept into him, taking over his mind. No...he couldn't take it much longer. He was-

"Sorry!"

"I said you don't have to say that!"

Lon'qu blinked.

...What just happened?

In front of him was the girl. She recoiled from him as he yelled at her, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

"I...sorry...It just looked...looked like you were in pain...and I thought it...it was because of what I said…"

...There was just no stopping this girl, huh? Lon'qu gazed incredulously as she continued rambling nonsense.

But...

"I-it's not you...I just have problems with all men...it's because well...there's no good word to describe it….I'm shy?"

That feeling he had…

It was still there. He couldn't help it. Just the mere thought about women, any type of women, made him shudder.

But somehow, here he was with one of them, and that feeling of dread...lessened. The face that had haunted his thoughts for years faded into the background. The girl in front of him sharpened into view.

"So like I said, I'm very and truly sorry…"

"Thank you."

"Sorry! Huh?"

Had he gone mad? Thanking a woman, not once, but twice in one day. No, this was normal, after all. If anything he had been dragged back from the pit of madness.

Something this girl had made him able to focus on her instead. Instead of the face from his past, he imagined a picture of hers. Disconcerted but still there, it slowly replaced the dread in his mind.

The girl watched him curiously from the corner of her eye, too confused to continue crying. That was good, Lon'qu realized. He didn't want her to cry. Nor did he want her to run away. He wanted something else…

That familiar feeling came back to him once more. The picture of the girl in his mind finally took shape. Lon'qu's eyes widened as he finally recognized his simple desire.

He wanted her to smile.

By now, the girl had changed her expression. She seemed frightened.

"I...but...weren't you going to scold me?"

"...Why would I do that?"

"I...well, I thought it was because I said sorry again."

Lon'qu nodded. He had figured it had been something like that with her. But then..

"But you said sorry again right after!"

A look of realization appeared over her face as she panicked.

"S-sorry! I mean…"

She stopped and hastily looked off to the side.

A feeling inside Lon'qu resurfaced. It had long since been forgotten by him, repressed to the deepest pit in his mind. It was something he had thought he would never feel again. But now it was back. And Lon'qu could not help but to give a throaty chuckle as he saw the girl shy away from him.

She looked positively stricken.

"You're...laughing at me?"

He snorted and shook his head. She looked at him dubiously, and he could tell that she wanted to scamper away. However, that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to know more about this girl that had pulled him back from the brink of insanity. And he knew just how to do it.

"So, tell me more about that Pegasus of yours…"

Somehow, someway, it had gotten darker. They had been talking for quite some time, he realized, and he had learned quite a lot about her. Well, about her Pegasus anyway.

With a start, the girl looked up. She suddenly saw how much time had past.

"Um…" she cut off in the middle of explaining her Pegasus's favorite grooming spots. "I-If you're feeling up to it...could you try...standing?"

The man looked uncertainly at her, before he suddenly remembered. Slowly, he rose to his feet, stretching his back in the process to test it out.

"Seems like it's all healed up," he noted. "Thank you."

"Oh no, don't thank me…" she replied timidly. "I'm just glad...it all worked out."

"Yeah,"

There was a small silence after that, and he let her check to see if everything was alright. Though her mannerisms remained the same, as she barely glanced over him while she did so. Once she was done, she backed off to meet his face, an action she promptly regretted.

"I-is that all, then?" she squeaked, a bit terrified.

"Yeah," he repeated, continuing to fix her with a steady gaze. Well, that was good, then. The girl wondered if she had better get going. Her Pegasus was probably lonely, she had spent a lot less time with him than usual.

But before she could go, the man spoke once again, in a tone she had not yet heard from him. It was quiet, but earnest, words that came from deep inside him.

"I just want to thank you, again."

She stopped unsure of what to make of that. In her mind, she didn't really deserve any thanks.

"Ah, but-"

"Not just for my back," he continued. "But, for being here. You've helped me out far more than you could ever know. And for that, I thank you. Even though my thanks would barely be enough for what you've done for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"O-oh," she wasn't quite sure how to react to that. She didn't quite know what he meant. And she still didn't quite think she should be thanked for her deed. But it sounded like he was happy. That was good.

"I mean it. Thank you."

"I-I see."

"You have my deepest appreciation."

"Y-yes."

"Thank-"

"Okay, I get it!" she cut him off abruptly, startling him in the process. "Geez, how many times are you going to thank me? It's embarrassing! Ah…" she caught his astonished look and instantly turned red.

What did she just do?! No, that wasn't her! There was no way she would ever have an outburst like that, especially to a man, but yet…

Her legs quivered and she shakily tried to retreat. She desperately wanted to vanish at the moment but no, she had to set things right first. Where were her manners, she asked herself as she lowered her head shamefully.

"I didn't mean to burst out like that. Sorr- ah."

She stopped abruptly as suddenly she remembered something the man had said earlier. To her horror, she could see him with a devilish look in his eye and about to open his mouth.

"N-no, I didn't say it, I didn't! Don't look at me like that, please! I didn't say it, I swear! Sorry! Ah..."

After a hearty laugh the man wiped a tear from his eye and spoke again.

"Thank you."

"Uh-"

"If you're going to say sorry, you're going to have to at least allow me to say thank you."

"I...okay then," she gave him a small smile. "I'm glad...I was able to help."

"...You have a nice smile."

"...Eh?"

"Would you mind if I kept it in my memory?"

"W-wha-"

She immediately turned red again as her mind began to panic. How could he say such a thing with such a serious face? Was he serious?

"I want to try and remember your face when I need to talk with other women. I think it may help me focus less on the...other one. "

...What did that even mean?!

"Please."

He was pleading with her. Oh no, he was actually pleading with her.

"A-all right."

Ahh! Had she really agreed to such an embarrassing thing? This man...was weird!

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you."

"Oh no, not again…"

He chuckled a bit at that, and she couldn't help but to grin, just a little.

It felt like time had flown by. It was getting late now, and she really had to get going soon. This man had eaten up so much of her time, so much more than she initially planned. She was supposed to only stick around until she was sure he was okay. It had long been since that, however. But, she didn't quite mind it, strangely enough.

"I...should get going soon," she told him. He nodded in understanding. It didn't feel quite right leaving on that note, so she added, "If you need anything else, let me know, alright?"

On cue, the man's stomach rumbled. She glanced at it incredulously, and the man blushed and looked away.

"Ugh, excuse me. I haven't eaten anything all day."

"A-all day?"

"Er, yeah."

She took a moment to think about it. It was partially her fault, right? She had kept him here for a while, even after his injuries healed, so he hadn't got the chance. She should apol- no, that wasn't quite the right thing to do. The dining hall was likely closed at this hour, so that option wasn't going to work. All of a sudden, she remembered what she was doing before the whole ordeal.

"I...might have some food. From my lunch earlier. I didn't finish it because, well, when you- anyway!"

She cleared her throat and looked around nervously.

"I-it's probably around here. Ah," she suddenly remembered.

Walking over to the place where the low branch was, she hopped onto it and begun scaling the tree. After a brief moment, she returned, holding a disposal container in her hand.

Lon'qu watched her in amazement. She had scaled the tree quite fluently. When she walked up to him, he marveled.

"You're quite good with trees."

"Eh? Oh...um...well, I have a bit of….experience with trees…"

"I see…"

She turned her head as if remembering a memory and blushed again, but quickly shook her head to snap out of it. She held out the container.

"I almost forgot. Sorry, it's probably gone cold by now, but…"

"..."

"Er, w-what's wrong?"

"Well…I...I'll take it..."

"O-oh right. Then I suppose, I'll...um."

They stood awkwardly staring at each other for a moment. Finally, Lon'qu made the first move. Reaching out slowly, he carefully kept his eye on the container. Just as slowly, the girl lowered it into his hand. But for one brief moment, they brushed by each other-

"Ahh!"

Both of them jumped back, not used to this sort of thing. The girl was quick to apologize.

"Sorry!"

"No, it's fine-"

"My hand was trembling, and...ah."

"It's okay! I have it, see? It's okay…"

Lon'qu stared in wonderment at the container. He had accomplished many impossible things in his lifetime. But, although to many this wouldn't be such an ordeal, to him this feat may have topped them all.

"W-well, I hope you enjoy!"

The woman bowed her head. She was clutching her hand as if burned, and was steadily retreating.

"Huh?" Lon'qu blinked. "Hey, wait, the container."

"It's okay! Just throw it out or something. I've got plenty more at home. Anyway, gotta go!"

She was almost out of the courtyard by now. Lon'qu felt bewildered, but he could understand. After all, this was not to different from how he would act in a similar situation.

"One last thing!" he called out to her. "My name is Lon'qu! I never got the chance to ask you what yours was!"

The girl froze just outside of the exit. He could see her take deep breaths and shaking as if she were struggling. For a moment, he was afraid she would just dash out and never tell him, but just as he thought that might be the case-

"Flo-Florina!" She turned around and loudly squeaked at him. "My name is...Florina."

That was all she could take evidently, because the next moment, she was gone.

Florina. He would remember that name, Lon'qu thought to himself as he took a bite out of the meal. It was cold, but still very good. The best thing had all day. Well, the only thing he had all day.

That Florina was a fairly talented girl. Not only did he manage to talk to her, but she was also a pretty talented chef. She was lucky to have her cooking every day. If this meal was as good as it was cold, he wondered how good it must have tasted to her earlier, when it was still warm.

Abruptly, he froze. That thought lingered in his mind. He looked down at the meal. He had started eating a little while ago, but one quick look told him that he had not started while it was the whole product.

Suddenly, his hand twitched. Bewildered, he glanced at it as it continue to spaz. The part which brushed by Florina felt especially odd.

He felt a rush of panic. It wasn't quite the same as before, but his stomach squirmed all the same and his mind reminded him of the fact that the girl was indeed exactly that. A woman.

It appeared they both still had a lot to work on.


End file.
